Sweet Serendipity

by Pizzi, Jenna

  “I saw the newspaper today. I saw you. I saw you happier than you’ve ever been. I want that for you.”

  “I didn’t want you to find out that way. What about Adam? Did he see it?”

  “No. You looked beautiful by the way. He seems to have brought out the best in you. I wish it had been me, but it wasn’t. I will just have to accept that. I’m letting you go, Becky. I won’t stand in your way anymore.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Jack. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “I already hurt us, Becky. You’re just moving on.” He swept his hand gently over her face. “It’s the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do, but I’m doing it for you.”

  “Thank you, Jack,” she said as she hugged him. “You have no idea what it means to me.”

  He smiled at her.

  “It’s all I can offer you. I will love you forever. If the only way to stay in your life is as your friend, then a friend you will have.”

  They talked through things for the next hour, and Rebecca felt a huge weight being lifted off of her shoulders. She finally felt at peace saying goodbye to Brian, and she felt she was in a new place with Jack.

  She said goodbye to him and got back into her car. She pulled out of the cemetery and felt a small smile cross her lips. She was able to put the past to rest, and now she only had the future to look forward to.

  Rebecca spent the next hour cleaning up her house. She knew Ethan would be there soon and she just wanted to keep herself busy until he showed up. She found herself smiling and humming as she freshened up the blankets on her bed. She liked the way she felt. The house seemed just that much brighter.

  She quickly showered and changed into a pair of white cotton Capri pants and a lavender camisole with a lace cardigan. The doorbell rang; she looked at the clock and smiled when she saw that it was six thirty on the spot. She found herself running down the stairs like a teenager. As she threw the door open and saw him standing there, she couldn’t help herself; she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He laughed as he embraced her.

  Rebecca grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. She noticed her nosy neighbor shaking her head as she closed her door. She led him into the kitchen and he placed a large brown bag on the counter.

  “Well, that’s a greeting I could get used to on a daily basis,” he teased as he turned back around and wrapped his arms around her. “I take it you’ve had a good day?” He asked her.

  “I have!”

  “Do you want to tell me about it?”

  “How about I tell you while we eat? I’m starved.”

  He opened the bag of food and pulled out carton after carton of Chinese food.

  “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I think I ordered one of everything.”

  She helped him open the cartons as she picked a chicken finger up and stuffed it into her mouth. He watched her, bewildered by her change in demeanor. He served the dishes and took a seat at the table.

  “So, please share your day with me,” he said as he took a bite of fried rice.

  “I felt Brian today. It felt like a warm breeze passing through me, but I knew it was him hugging me.”

  Ethan let out a big smile as she talked.

  “I could smell him, it surrounded me. It was the first time in over a year that I felt…at peace.”

  “I told you he has been watching over you. He didn’t want to leave you until he knew you’d be OK. He now feels that you are going to be alright.”

  “Jack felt it, too.”

  “Jack was there, too?” Ethan asked more out of curiosity than concern.

  “I called him earlier. I told him I needed to talk to him. I thought he should hear about us and the newspaper article from me, not someone else. He came looking for me and found me at the cemetery. Neither one of us has been able to go near there, I guess it was just time.”

  He reached over and grasped her hand.

  “Everything happens for a reason. Perhaps Brian brought the two of you together to make peace with both of you.”

  “Jack let me go. I know it might sound strange to you, but all those years of emptiness just seemed to disappear. He apologized for not being the man he should have been. He wishes us his best. He wants me to be happy, and I am. For the first time that I can remember, I’m happy.”

  “That’s a feeling you need to get used to then, because this is the Becca I painted in the pictures. This is how happy you deserve to be. Both Brian and Jack are right, you deserve to be happy, and I intend to remind you that every day that you allow me to.”

  She leaned over and kissed him gently on his lips. “How did you learn to be so insightful and positive about everything?”

  He smirked at her.

  “I travelled. I met a lot of incredible people along the way. I got to experience many cultures and their beliefs. It’s how I met Micah before he opened the healing center. We met in Africa. He was tracing his roots and I was learning about the different spiritual tribes in West Africa. I met Micah and he told me how he wanted to open a healing center of his own. We became instant friends and we travelled together to Italy and Sweden.

  We ended up landing here in Plymouth and he knew right away that this was where he wanted to set up shop. I travelled for a while more, but I kept coming back here. Now I know why.” He reached over and swept a stray hair away from her face and looked into her eyes. “I know it was to meet you.”

  Rebecca melted. He had that effect on her. He surprised her by pulling away. He cleaned off their dishes and placed them in the sink

  “What are you doing? You don’t have to do the dishes, Ethan.”

  “It alright, I don’t mind. I was thinking we could go for a walk.”

  “A walk? Here?” She asked him surprised.

  “You have a beautiful pond out back. You should be out there enjoying it.”

  Rebecca giggled.

  “Well, the kids used to play out there, but they haven’t in a long time. I suppose the path would still be out there.”

  “Good. Why don’t you run and put on some sneakers and I’ll grab some flashlights from my car.”

  She looked at him in disbelief but left to put on her sneakers.

  When she returned he was already standing outside with a big backpack strapped on his back. She looked at him and shook her head.

  “What are you doing?”

  “You have got to learn to just go with it.” He took her hand and they walked off into the woods together.

  They walked around the pond until Ethan stopped her.

  “Here is good.” He stopped and took off his backpack. He pulled out a blanket and laid it on the ground. He knelt down on it and reached his hand up for her to help her down. She carefully sat next to him. He then pulled out a bottle of wine and two disposable wine glasses.

  “You think of everything, don’t you?” She teased.

  “Well, we haven’t exactly spent much time talking. The only talk we do is pillow talk, so I wanted us to spend time talking.”

  She burst out laughing.

  “You really are one of a kind, Ethan. I don’t know many guys who would rather talk.”

  “I just want to know everything there is to know about you, Rebecca Davis.”

  “OK. Ask away.”

  They sat under the moonlight and laughed as they talked. Ethan pulled out a handheld telescope from his backpack and handed it to her. He pointed to the sky and told Rebecca to look. He explained all the stars as they seemed to appear in the September sky. She felt like she was eighteen again, getting to know someone so completely. She got a little quiet when he mentioned his nieces and nephews. She quickly sat up and broke his train of thought. Ethan sat up, too.

  “What just happened?”

  “I feel so stupid.”

  “Why?”

  “You talk so lovingly about your nieces and nephews.”

  “OK, they are great kids.”

  She turned and faced him.

  “What about you, E
than?”

  “What about me?”

  “You are still a young guy. You come from an enormous family. Don’t you want children of your own?”

  “It’s not one of those things that I feel like I’m missing out on if that’s what you are worried about.”

  “That’s not exactly an answer. I already have children. My days of diapers are over.”

  He grabbed her hand and began to laugh.

  “Becca, we’re just in the beginning of this, we still have to get your children to like me before we even talk about having this conversation.”

  “It’s just that…Tasha said,” she began.

  “Sometimes you girls over think things.” He kissed her hand.

  They lay under the star light on the blanket. Rebecca could feel her eyes growing heavy and she realized that it was getting late.

  “I hate to say it, but we should probably head back to the house.”

  They rolled up the blanket and he placed it in the backpack along with the now empty wine bottle. They walked hand-in-hand back to the house. When they arrived they noticed that the upstairs lights were on.

  Rebecca hurried into the house and called out, “Hello?”

  Riley came bombing down the stairs.

  “Oh my freaking God, Mom. Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling your cell, but then I found it upstairs.” Riley quickly stopped talking when Ethan walked through the door. She shot her mother a naughty look.

  “Oooh, I get it. Sorry. I’m just going to go back upstairs.”

  “Wait, Riley, hold on a second.” She reached for Ethan’s hand and pulled him beside her. “This is Ethan. Ethan this is my very grown up daughter, Riley, who is home a day early.”

  Ethan stepped forward and extended his hand to Riley who blushed when she looked at him.

  “Hello, Riley. I have heard a lot of great things about you.”

  She simply smiled at him.

  “I saw pictures of you guys on the internet. It’s nice to meet you too, Ethan. I’ve been trying to get my mother to go out with you for a while now, but apparently she was.” She shot her mother a sarcastic look.

  “So you are OK with this?”

  “Um, yeah I am. I already told you that I am starting my senior year. I’m off to college this time next year. I like knowing you won’t be lonely without me.” She cracked a smile. “I’ll just be up in my room.” As she went up the stairs, she called, “See you guys in the morning.”

  It took Rebecca a minute to realize what her daughter just said to her.

  “Did she just give the OK for you to spend the night?”

  Ethan shrugged his shoulder.

  “Sounds that way.” He put his arm around her. “Are you alright with that?” He asked her.

  “I guess so.”

  He took her hand in his.

  “Not everything is about sex, Becca. We can spend the night together without crossing any lines here. Maybe it would just give her a chance to get used to the idea of me being around. Besides, I’d like to just fall asleep with you in my arms.”

  They went into the living room and turned on the TV. A marathon of The Big Bang Theory was on, so they decided to add some laughter to their evening. Ethan watched Rebecca in deep fascination as she laughed so hard at something Sheldon said in the TV show that she snorted. She covered her mouth and roared in laughter even harder at her embarrassment. He wrapped his arm around her and she pulled her legs up to her chest as she snuggled in next to him. They stayed in that position until Riley woke them in the morning.

  “Oh, sorry guys. I didn’t know you were down here,” Riley said as she hurried out of the room. Rebecca pulled herself up off of the couch when she realized they had fallen asleep on the couch. Ethan opened his eyes and groggily smiled at her.

  “Good morning,” he said to her.

  Rebecca smiled sweetly at him. She liked the idea of waking up to him in the morning.

  Ethan stood and held out his hand to help her up.

  “How about I make the three of us some breakfast?” He asked her.

  She looked at him with a raised eyebrow,

  “Sure, sounds great.”

  While he was in the kitchen, Rebecca couldn’t help but notice Riley secretly looking over the situation. Rebecca walked up to her daughter and kissed the side of her head.

  “Ethan has offered to make us breakfast.”

  Riley smiled cutely.

  “Hmmm, shall we put him to the test then?” She whispered into her mother’s ear, and Rebecca smiled. She then turned to Ethan who was standing very confidently waiting for his orders.

  “Riley has requested waffles, homemade, with fresh berries.”

  “If you have all the ingredients, I can do that.”

  Riley pulled the eggs, berries, and milk from the fridge. From the pantry, Rebecca retrieved the Belgian waffle maker. She placed it on the counter and Ethan brushed his fingers over her hands as they passed one another. Riley handed him all the ingredients he’d need as she took her orange juice to the table and sat down. Ethan began mixing the ingredients as he turned to Riley and winked. She blushed. Rebecca sat beside her daughter.

  “Just to let you know, Ethan has fourteen nieces and nephews. I think he can handle a few waffles.”

  “Wow! That’s a big family. What ages are they all?” Riley asked him.

  “Let’s see, the oldest is my eighteen-year-old niece, and the youngest is a six-month-old boy.”

  “Ahh, where do they all live?” Riley asked him.

  “The oldest is in Oregon with my brother, and the baby is here in Massachusetts. I have two sisters who live in and near Salem.”

  “We should all get together. It would be fun to meet them all. I love babies. I play with Andrew and Layla all the time.”

  Rebecca’s heart fluttered when she heard Riley talking about babies. She hoped her daughter wasn’t dropping hints.

  “I know my sisters would love to meet you guys. It’s all I have heard about for the last few months now,” Ethan told her.

  Ethan served them perfectly fluffy Belgian waffles topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Riley dug right in and stuffed it into her mouth.

  “Oh my God, Ethan, this is so yummy. We might have to keep you around if you can cook like this. Adam loves waffles, too.”

  Riley smiled at Rebecca and took a bite of his own waffle. The three of them sat and had a nice breakfast together. The conversation flowed in a positive way. Riley expressed an interest in his gallery and asked if she could stop by and see the paintings. Ethan was happy to oblige and told her he would gladly show her anytime she wanted.

  After Riley and Rebecca cleaned up the kitchen, Riley asked to borrow the car to go out for a while. Rebecca gave her the keys and asked her to be home before Adam got home so they could have a family dinner together.

  “Sure thing, Mom. See you later, Ethan. Thanks for breakfast.”

  She bounded out the door and Rebecca could hear the car pull out of the garage. She turned to Ethan and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek.

  “Thank you,” she said to him.

  “You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad she likes me. She’s a good kid, Becca. You’ve done a great job with her. I can tell you guys are close.”

  “We are. Sometimes she is the one who gives me advice. I think it’s because I had her when I was so young. Sometimes I like that, to her, I am a young mom. Adam, on the other hand, isn’t the easiest to get along with. He thinks I am a wicked witch right now.”

  “No, he doesn’t. He’s just having a hard time adjusting to things, that’s all.” He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as he laid his chin on her shoulder. She stared out into the backyard.

  “It’s a beautiful view from here. I can see why you chose this house,” Ethan said to her.

  “I did love it here, but it holds too many memories now. I’ve always been a beach person. I was debating selling the house. It’s just too muc
h to keep up with.”

  “That could be kind of hard for the kids, though. Don’t you think?”

  “I’ve thought about that, too. That’s why it was only a thought.” She turned around to face him. “I met Vivian at your gallery opening. She says that she’s interested in representing me, and that you agreed to illustrate my children’s books.”

  “Yes.”

  “You had agreed to it before we were…us.”

  “You are talented and your story was amazing. I still would have done the drawings for you no matter what happened between us. I have an eye for talent, remember?”

  She leaned in and kissed him gently. He rested his forehead on hers and smiled.

  “We have the house to ourselves. We could take advantage of it.”

  Before he even finished his sentence, she was already running toward the stairs. He playfully chased her up and caught her just as she entered her bedroom. He half carried, half dragged them over to the bed. They collapsed on top of the bed and Rebecca giggled as she wrapped herself around him.

  Ethan was in the shower and Rebecca was in her study when the phone rang. She picked it up.

  “Hi, Em,” she said.

  “Hey! How about if we come over this afternoon and throw some burgers on the grill? I can make potato salad, you can make macaroni salad, and Tasha can buy dessert. School is starting and this is our last summer day.”

  “I think it sounds great. How about three-ish?”

  “Great, I’ll call Tasha and we’ll see you then.”

  Rebecca hung up the phone and pulled out a piece of paper. She began writing.

  Ethan walked in the room and stood in the doorway admiring her. She was so deep in thought she didn’t realize he was standing there watching her. She finally looked up and smiled at him.

  “Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you; I was just admiring the view,” he told her.

  She put her pencil down.

  “I was feeling a little inspired, so I thought I’d jot it down before I forget it.”

  “Do you mind if I look?” He asked her.

  She turned the paper around and slid it across the desk. He smiled at her sketches and words.

  “It’s a book about Brian.”

  She smiled at the thoughts.